I would make it so that everyone, regardless of
age, had access to free healthcare and a quality education that included a cultural awareness
component.

Children would have to learn early on, to respect and
understand each other's cultures and/or differences.

A

It always makes me smile seeing children connect with the
message in the books. I also enjoy wit, humour, recounting stories using vivid
detail and people watching!

Not to mention stealing some time to myself to
read something great, or getting lost in my imagination and
writing until I hear my name being hollered!

Q

What is your secret to handling Adversity?

Q

What is the single most important factor that
prepared you to become a writer?

A

One of the things I do to handle adversity is to try my best to
persevere through whatever comes my way. I struggle at times in this area,
because life can be so unpredictable / challenging, however, once I have time to
think things through,

I can usually work through most things with
a healthy dose of optimism and faith. If need be, I
will also reach out to others who can support and guide me

.

A

The single most important factor that prepared me to become a writer was
someone's belief in my ability to connect with others through my writing.
I knew I wanted to work with kids, but I didn't know I would
publish anything until Sean Liburd, owner of Knowledge Bookstore, asked me
after one of his book club sessions when I would put out my
own book.

To know he believed I could do it helped me to believe it too
and I found the courage to get it done. I leaned on those who allowed me
to and I am grateful for all the help I received!

Q

Do
you believe to be a good writer, it is necessary to be an avid reader?

Q

Would you define yourself as an avid reader?

A

I think in order to be a good writer; you must first become inspired by
literature in some way, shape or form.

This would require
reading! Now an avid reader? Not necessarily, but the biggest advantage to
being one is knowing the various ways to structure a piece
of literature and adapt it to a specific audience

A

I would absolutely define myself as an avid reader. I was the book
worm in my family. There is nothing like embarking on a suspenseful
journey using only the words from a story. Books are the best escape! Now
if only I could find more time these days.

Q

What are your favourite children books from your
childhood?

Q

Are
these books you would expose your children to or do you have new favorites as
an adult?

A

I have many favourite books from my childhood. My sisters and I would
act out 'MacBeth' by Williamshakespeare, or I would curl up and chuckle my
way through Gordon Korman's 'I Want to Go Home'. When the book 'Are
You There God? It's Me Margaret' by Judy Blume hit the scene, it was quite the
topic of discussion amongst my friends for a long time.

I of course
enjoyed the classics like 'Cinderella', 'Charotte's Web' and
happily got lost in the adventures of 'Pippi Long Stocking' (in
french too 'Fifi Brindacier'). I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Witches' by
Roald Dahl as well.

A

Well, I have to say, for my own children, my first priority would
be to get them excited about reading amazing books that have
characters who look just like them who are having fun, exploring, using
their imagination, building their self confidence, problem solving, etc.

Some
new favourites I would read are the Loving Me Series (I am slightly biased!),
Christopher Clean Up Your Room by Itah Sadu, Marcus Teaches Us by Eleanor Wint
and Stop Kissing Me Mommy! by Nadine Chevolleau. I would certainly slip in some
classics that I enjoyed here and there when they are a bit older and perhaps
during trips to the libraries when it is time to explore a wider variety of fun
books

Q

How
important is it to you to see Black characters in books?

Q

We live in a multicultural society do you feel
it is necessary to reflect that in your books?

A

It means everything to me as a black person who has struggled with her
identity in the past. It is an opportunity to feel visible; included in the
human experience. This type of connection is extremely important particularly
for young children.

A

One has to stay true to the story first and foremost. For instance, if
there is a story placed in a village in Cameroon, it may present as a bit
odd that the villagers are multicultural and could come off as
disingenuous.

However, multicultural characters are important to include,
whenever there is an opportunity to because when children go out in the
world, they will see, go to school with, work with all kinds of different
individuals. It is good for kids to see an accurate reflection of this in
their literature so they can adopt a positive attitude early on.

Q

What is your goal with the "Loving Me Series"?

Q

We
live in a time where branding is everything.
How would you describe your brand?

A

The goal of the Loving Me Series is to expand globally while teaching
children the powerful message to love who they are because they are all
born unique on purpose!

A

I would describe my brand as unique, inspiring and edu-taining.
Nothing beats seeing children connect with the message in the
books of celebrating and loving who they are
while simultaneously getting to learn great information that is vital
to building their self worth!

Q

Will we be seeing any other products added to
the "Loving Me Series"?

Q

Was it important not to give your characters
names?

A

Most certainly, there will be other
products to compliment the Loving Me Series. There are currently 2 eBooks
already available online for just $2.99 each. As well, there's
the very popular Loving Me Song (feat. Jay Martin, Owen O' Sound Lee,
Black Blush and Raven Groves) that is now available for just $0.99 cents on
iTunes and other sources.

We cannot wait for the fans of the series to see
what else The Loving Me Team has been hard at work creating!

A

Yes, it was a conscious decision not to give names to the characters in
the books, so every child who read the story, could more easily see themselves
throughout the pages of the books, rather than a character other than
themselves. I love that most kids think the story is really about them,
because it is!

Q

Do
you plan to write children's books exclusively?

Q

Speaking
of characters can you share a few of your favorite characters from black
literature you have read?

A

Not at all. At this time, children are my main focus, however, I do
enjoy writing articles or exploring other topics for different age
groups. I would definitely welcome the challenge of writing
creatively for them as well sometime in the future.

A

I am all too happy to share some of my
fave characters from black literature. Let's see, I have to mention Gideon in
'Sleeping With Strangers' (Gideon series) by Eric Jerome Dickey.

It was the best suspense/thriller I have ever read and I love the main
character was black! There was Belle in 'Belle and the Beau' by
Beverly Jenkins, Sable Fontaine in 'Through the Storm' by Beverly Jenkins and
Nathan McCall in 'Makes Me Wanna Holler'.

Q

Okay,
I admit I am a fan of your work. Have
you received any harsh or negative criticism of your books?

Q

What
is the best compliment you have received to date about your books?

A

I have been fortunate enough to receive the criticism I did from
one source so far, and it was quite helpful. The fact that this
parent took time out of her day to write to me, let me know that this weighed
heavily on her heart.

Once my team and I read the letter, we really took it
seriously because we felt like if one child responded in the way the
parent had described, then there could be more who would too. So we
worked immediately to correct the issue she had mentioned and have
been better for it ever since.

I wanted to point out that as a self published
author, all financial responsibilities fell on my shoulders, however, the
correction was worth every penny and I recently wrote her and thanked her for
letting me know early on! I am all for constructive criticism because it
challenges us to improve and grow.

A

The best compliment I hear is from
those who say they wish these books had been around when they were growing up.
It affirms the commitment I made to fill a niche market for kids who I felt
were being overlooked.

I love that other ethnicities can read these
books by an African Canadian children's author while taking in the universal
message to love exactly who you are.

Q

Writing, self-publishing,
distributing and marketing your books is quite a handful. Can you share some of the challenges and
rewards of taking your destiny into your own hands?

Q

What role does being Canadian born of African
parentage play in your creative process?

A

A wise person once told me that writing the book was the easy part. I
didn't believe them so I had to learn the hard way. Once the book was
completed, I really didn't know what to do with it. I loved the finished
product, I believed in it, but marketing was way out of my comfort zone. I had
to begin the painstaking process of getting my book out to the public and it
was not easy, and still isn't.

I worked with a team of people I put together
over the years and leaned on the advice of others who have gone before me. I
also thought outside the box and tried as many things as I could. There
was no path set out before me, so I kept hacking away. I wish I could say it
was easy, but it wasn't.

It was sheer determination, a few tongue lashings from
my team of people who cared deeply about this project that kept me moving
forward in the right direction. Most importantly, I love these books and
when I hear the amount of children who are loving themselves as a result
of them, I feel really blessed and humbled. Loving the journey that leads to
success is just as important as loving the success.

I have been fortunate to
have met so many amazing people. I really feel that no amount of success is
achieved on one's own, everyone has angels along the way who somehow made the journey
easier or more efficient. I have to thank my amazing team as well as all those
who supported my books in any way shape or form. I am proud to give you
the exclusive, first, official announcement that my Loving Me
Series has been picked up by a publisher!

This journey has taught me
that with courage and sheer hard work, nothing is impossible.

A

Having been raised by an African mother gave way to some very fun and interesting
times. Talk about culture clash! If I wanted to sleep out in May, I would have
to start breaking her down in January! Some family members did some geneology
work and discovered that my sisters and I come from a family of scholars; our
grandfather was gifted in languages and translation and was often chosen/hired
to translate for foreign heads of state.

My mom sacrificed so much and
struggled so much to keep all of us with her and I am so thankful to
have her in my corner. I have had many creative ideas in my time but
to know how much she supports what I am doing with these books means the world
to me. I want to give back as much as I can and continue to make her
proud. I had a lot of exposure to African culture through the Embassy parties our
family would attend growing up and my mom's friends were from 'back home' too.

There was a lot of music, food and dance...ooh ooh! I loved to dance to African
music. Prince Eyango was my fave. I had his dancer's moves down pact. I didn't
play video games, I played outdoors and had fun with creative
games my sisters and I would make up, since we didn't have that kind of
disposable income to purchase the latest toys and gadgets. My creative
energy was always allowed to be expressed. I would read, dance for hours or
write. My mom would never complain.....ok sometimes when I hogged the TV
to play the DVD's with African dancing from back home, but other than that, it
was awesome! I feel it is my creative express